Abstract: A pair of rotary die cylinders each removably mountable in a die stand by a pair of opposed arbor assemblies each with a separate spindle journaled in a separate carrier block and having a nose drawable into engagement with complementary recesses in opposed ends of the die cylinder in coaxial alignment with the axis of the die cylinder. The noses of the spindles are removably engaged in the recess by a drawbar extending through each cylinder. The carrier blocks are removably slidably received in slots in a pair of spaced apart uprights of the die stand.

Abstract: A method of making a pair of rotary die cylinders with lands having coacting cutting edges which cut blanks from a web of material passing through the nip of the rotating dies. In cross section each land has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the chord of the outer face to provide a clean cut and facilitate release of the cut blank from the cutting blades as it emerges from the nip of the dies. The die cylinders are journalled for rotation by recesses with frusto conical locating surfaces in their opposed ends. Each die cylinder is made by machining the recesses in the opposed ends of a generally cylindrical workpiece of tool steel and then utilizing the recesses to locate and orient the workpiece relative to a cutting tool to produce a cylindrical surface on the workpiece concentric with the axis of the recesses and then to machine away portions of the periphery of the cylindrical surface to form the cutting blade lands thereon.